Triarylborane-triphenylamine based luminophore for the mitochondria targeted live cell imaging and colorimetric detection of aqueous fluoride

Bioimaging of subcellular organelles such as mitochondria is crucial for detecting physiological abnormalities induced by fluctuations in the levels of various analytes. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of two novel water-soluble cationic Lewis acid triarylborane-triarylamine conjugates 1 and 2. The optical characteristics of 1 and 2 and their precursor compounds BTPA-NMe2 and BTPA-2NMe2 were evaluated, which show similar absorption and fluorescence spectra, with 1 and 2 exhibiting higher quantum yields of 0.73 and 0.64, respectively, than those of the precursors BTPA-NMe2 and BTPA-2NMe2, indicating the partial disruption of the ICT process and the activation of alternative emission bands in 1 and 2. The live cell imaging ability of compound 2 was examined in HeLa cells using a confocal microscope. Moreover, mitochondrial internalisation using compound 2 was effective and it was found to have high photostability under UV light conditions. Furthermore, compound 2 demonstrated an evident colorimetric response with a colour change to dark yellow in aqueous environments, indicating that it could be used for anion sensing. The spectral changes were observed in UV-visible and fluorescence titration experiments, which were strongly supported by DFT calculations. In short, compound 2 synthesized by us can be exclusively utilized for the selective localization of mitochondria with less cytotoxicity and shows excellent colorimetric response to aqueous inorganic fluoride at levels as low as 0.1 ppm with high selectivity.

Functional 1,8-Naphthalimide AIE/AIEEgens: Recent Advances and Prospects

This comprehensive review surveys the up-to-date development of aggregation-induced emission/aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIE/AIEE) active naphthalimide (NI)-based smart materials with potential for wide and real-world applications and that serves as a highly versatile building block with tunable absorption and emission in the complete visible region. The review article commences with a precise description of the importance of NI moiety and its several restricted area of applications owing to its aggregation caused quenching (ACQ) properties, followed by the discovery and importance of AIE/AIEE-active NIs. The introduction section tracked an overview of the state of the art in NI luminogens in multiple applications. It also includes a few mechanistic studies on the structure-property correlation of NIs and provides more insights into the condensed-state photophysical properties of small aggregation-prone systems. The review aims to ultimately accomplish current and forthcoming views comprising the use of the NIs for the detection of biologically active molecules, such as amino acids and proteins, recognition of toxic analytes, fabrication of light emitting diodes, and their potential in therapeutics and diagnostics.